Method of packing and preserving food products and the package obtained thereby



ug 30 7 E. SUTTER METHOD'OF PACKING AND PRESERVING FOOD PRODUCTS AND THE PACKAGE OBTAINED THEREBY Filed April 50. 1925 2Shees-Sheet 1- f 1 2 1,640,860 A g 30 9v? E. sUTTER f METHOD 0F PACKING AND PRESERVING FOOD PRODUCTS AND THE: PACKAGE OBTAINED THEREBY Filed IApril 50, 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 767125566: 5 y J/ivwiw Patented Aug. 30, 1927.

UNITED' STATES PATENT` OFFICE. l

ERNsT sUTTER, oF BURGDORI, SWITZERLAND, AssIGNoR To ALPINA xsE L -G., 0E

BUReDoRE," BERNE, SWITZERLAND,

METHOD '0F PACKING AND OBTAINED Application Viled April 30, 1923, Serial No.

My invention relates toY improvements in the method of packing and preserving food products and the package obtainedthereby.

' care is taken that when packing air is exeluded from thefood products and the packing is such thatthe access of air to the` Therefore the f food products is prevented. object of the improvements is to provide a method of packing cheese and the like in j flexiblewrappers such as tin foil, paper, or prepared. hogs bladder in such a way that in packing the air is expelled from the wrapper and that the wrapper is closedv so that the'air has no access to the food product. `With this objectv .in view my invention consists in filling the food product into a box madevfrom the flexible wrapper in a plastic or liquid state and up to the upper 'margin of the box, placing a sheet of. the

' wrapper on the surface of the food product,

applying pressure to the wrapper and to the food product confined therein for yexpelling the air, and bending the projecting margin of the sheet downwardly and on the upper parts of the side wall of the box. In the preferred method the cheese is first brought into a liquid or semi-liquid state and poured into the box formed from the wrapper, sor

'i 'that the saidbox is completelyfilled out by Cab the cheese and most of the air is expelled from the box before placing the top sheetA thereon. I have found that by applying the top sheet on the box under pressure any airA confined between the'body of the food product and the wall of the box and t-he top sheet thereof is expelled, and thatfby bending the margin of the top sheet around the side wall of the boxY while the food product is under pressure ya tight joint is insured.

r In the practice of the invention IV place the box into a matrix beforeapplying the pressure thereto, which matrix hasthe function to support the flexible wrapper as against i, the internal pressure.

In order that my invention be more clearly understood the package and an apparatus suitable for putting the method into effect have been shown in the accompanying showing. an apparatus the package, and

A CORPORATION 0F SWITZERLAND.

PRESERVING FOOD PRODUCTS .AND THE PACKAGE indicate corresponding parts. In said drawings,

box filled with the food product,

F ig. 2, is a similar. sectionvshowing the Asaid box with the covering sheet put there.-`

On" Fig. 3, is a similar section showing the box,

F 4 lto 6, are perspective views showing vvarious vforms `of theI package, f

Fig. 7, is an elevation partlyl in section suitable rfor making Figs. 8 and 9, are detail sectional views showing the Amain parts ofthe apparatus in different positions. i

In carrying out my `improved vmethod IY first makev a box of the desiredform and l size from a suitable flexible wrapper'such 'as t1n foil, and .-I; placethe said wrapper into al matrix providing al backing for the walls of the box. Thereafter I fillthe food product into the box upto the upper margin thereof as is shown in Fig. .1, where a is the box made from the wrapper and b the food product. The food product may be either in a plastic state, in a semi-liquid state, or .in a liquid state. Preferably however I fill'thegsanie into the box in a semi,-VV

liquid state, because thereby the whole box is entirely filled out vand no air isleft on the walll thereof.V In s uch cases in which the foodproductlis solid atordinaryltemperature Iy transfornrthe same into liquid state by heating'y or in another'way. After thus filling the foodV product into the box b I place a sheet c made from the wrapper material on the top of the food product so that the margin ofthe sheet projects beyond' the box. Finally I'vapply pressure to,

the box and the top sheet thereof and I bend the margin of .the top sheet downwardly and around the upper partof-the sidewall Yof the box while maintaining the pressure.

Fig. 1, is aA verticaly section showing the covering sheet bent over the side wall of the By thus applying Vpressure to the package;

prior to rbending the margin of the'sheet .0: downwardly any air confined between 'the sheet'or the wall of the box and the food product is expelled, and by bending the margin of the sheet downwardly while the food product is still under pressure a tight joint vis produced between the downwardly bent llVithin the socket 17 a matrix in the form of' a `ring 2 is'guided which nicely fits therein and is supported by means of rods 19 and a cross bar 2O bearing on a spring 21 provided on a rod 22 secured to the bottom part of the table 1. Above the ring 2 there isa. patrix in the form of a hollow plunger4 the internal area of which'corresponds to the internal areaA of the ring2 and the reducedV upper part 23 of `which is guided ina bracket 24 mounted on a suitable part of the machine. To show what may be done the said bracket is secured to an upright 27 rising from` the table 1. The upper part of the cavity'S of the plunger 4 communicates through a vent 9 with the outer air. At itsv bottom end the plunger 4 is formed with three ears 14 having screws 11 screwed therethrough, which screws have the function to arrest the plunger 4 moving downwardly av suitable distance away from the ring 2, said distance being a few tenths of a millimeter. VAt the top end the plunger 23 is formed with -trunnions 25 engaged by an operating lever 26 for moving the plunger 4 upwardly or downwardly. Vithin the cavity 8 of the plunger 4 a piston 5 is guided the rod 6 of which projects upwardly through an axial bore of the reduced portion 23. Above the reduced portion 23 the rod 6 carries aV collar 12 providing a support for a suitable number' of weights 7.

The voperation of the apparatus is as follows: -When the parts are in the positions shown in Fig. 7 the plunger 4 is lifted upwardly by means of the operating lever 2G Aand a box 3 of tin foil or the like is placed into lthe matrix provided by the bottom support 1 and the ring 2, the dimensions of the v partsbeing such that the walls of the matrix provide a backing for the walls of the box,

and that the edge of. the box is flush with` the top face of the ring 2 or slightlybelow l the same. Now a suitable amount of the food product preferably in aliquid or semiliquid state is filled into the box which is thereby filled exactly to the upper margin thereof. Now a sheet of the wrapper is placed on the box with the margin projectwithin the socket 17.

ing beyond the same and bearing on the top face of the ring 2. The plunger 4 is moved contained within the box Z). Thereby the Y air conned between the food product and the sheet and the box isi expelled, and itV escapes through the Yminute annular passage provided between the top face of the ring 2 and the margin of the sheet 0. Now the plunger 23 is forced downwardly, and it carries along the ring 2 against the actionof the spring 21. The mass of food product and the box b are supported on the .part 18` of the table, so that the projecting margin ,l of the sheetl c is bent downwardly andaround the top part of the-side wall of` the'.

box Z). Y' In this operation the weighted pis-- ton and the airV compressed within .the

chamber 8 act-onV the massV of food productl `l lsoV that the upper margin of the side 'wall'of the box is pressed by inter-nal vpressure against the downwardly directedimargin of the sheet c so as to produce a tight joint.V Finally the parts are in the position shown in Fig. 8 and they are held in this position for a short period of time. Thereafter the plunger 4 is rapidly elevated, the ring2 being for the present locked in depressed position. By the upward movement of the plunger 4 a vacuum is produced within the chamber 8, because the vent 9 permits only a` slow admission of air to the chamber 8. By the said vacuum the downward pressure of the piston 5 is reduced, so that the body of food r product within the wrapper is not pressed out ,of shape. As soon as the ring 4has released the packed body. of the foodV product the top face of the reduced portion 23 .en-f gages the collar 12 and retracts the piston 5 from the body of food product. Now the parts are'in theposition shown in Fig. 9 the wrapped body of food product vbeing supported on the table y1 and the ring 2 beingv Now aV box of solid material such as 'wood is placed over the body of food product, before the liquid'mass has time to deforin the wrapper. Finally thel body of food product is removed from the table together with the solid box enclosing the same.

lVhile in describing the invention reference has been made to a :particular example embodying the same I wish it to be understood that my invention is not limited to the specific feature of they method described herein. v

I claim:

1. The method of packing food products, which consists in completely iillingv an open receptacle with the material in a plastic state, placing a thin-non-elastic sheetV of metal over the material with its edgespextending beyond the brim of the receptacle, subjecting to pressure the entire surface of the sheet above the material to expel air and then bending the edges ofthe sheet down and tightly against the sides of the receptacle.

2. The method of packing food products, Which consists in introducing the material in a plastic state into an open receptacle composed of thin non-elastic metal, placing a thin non-elastic sheet of metal over the material With its edges extending beyond the brim of the receptacle, subjecting to pressure the entire surface of the sheet above the material While confining the receptacle against'deformation, and then bending the edges of the sheet down vand tightly against v the sides of the receptacle.

3. The package produced by the method described herein, consisting of a box formed of thin non-elastic metal, a body of the food product Within said box, and a covering of thin non-elastic metal closely covering said body and having its margin bent over the side Wall of the box and in tight engagement therewith.

In testimony whereof I hereunto affix my signature.

ERNST SUTTER. 

